Opposition leader Zoran Zaev has been releasing a steady stream of recordings since February, accusing the government of wiretapping 20,000 people, including politicians, journalists and religious leaders.

He says that scores of leaked recordings reveal corruption at the highest levels of government, including the mismanagement of funds, dubious criminal prosecutions of opponents and even cover-ups of killings.

Opposition parties have been boycotting parliament, accusing the governing coalition of fraud in the April 2014 election.

However, long-serving Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who has won successive elections since 2006, has repeatedly rejected the allegations.

He has accused Mr Zaev of orchestrating a coup at the behest of unnamed foreign spy agencies who, he says, want to overthrow his conservative government.